The Wise Rule the Stars
by Allicat9
Summary: A look inside the complex relationships between the Alderaanian nobility during Alderaan's civil war.


_**HOUSE PANTEER**_

_The Wise Rule the Stars_

Silara Avala Panteer, Guardian of the Elysium, Master of the Seven Realms, Governor of Aldera, Envoy to the Sentients, and sovereign Queen of Alderaan was dead. Her shuttle, the one she had used every day during the fifty seven years of her reign to travel from Castle Panteer to Aldera and back again had experienced what the baffled mechanics tasked to investigate called "inexplicable mechanical malfunctions" of an "indeterminable nature". Meaning that according to official records, the Royal Shuttle had taken a nose dive into the Glarus River of its own accord.

What a calamity! And this just days after the Crown Prince's suicide! The death of the Queen was both an unimaginable tragedy for the people of Alderaan and unbelievable blow to the Noble House Panteer. Having lost both their leader and her heir in a span of three days, the family had fallen into a vicious internal dispute over heritage, which left them incredibly vulnerable. It was by all accounts unbelievable coincidence. So unbelievable in fact, that some would say it was impossible.

Princess Katei Panteer counted herself amongst the skeptics. She watched from the top of Panteer Castle's spiral staircase as funeral goers arrived and were ushered in through the front doors by the remaining members of the Queen's Guard. Each of the heads of the Noble Houses of Alderaan arrived, all looking properly somber as decorum dictated. Every one of them had a reason to want her aunt dead and every one of them stood to gain from the current discord within her family.

Katei sighed as she watched the guests milling about from above. She was a master of puzzles, but this one had stretched her talents and her nerves to their end. Today was her aunt's funeral, the woman who had raised her was gone, and someone in the room below was responsible. She just needed to know who.

The servants had moved the body into the throne room where it lay for all to see, dressed in finery from all ends of the galaxy. The priests had been summoned from their temples Aldera, the scientists had been summoned from their labs in Crevasse, the artists had been summoned from their galleries in Belleau-a-Lir, and the nobility had been summoned from their castles. True to form, the nobles had arrived last.

Duke Organa glanced up at her as he and his wife were escorted into the throne room that now doubled as a viewing room. The Organa family was the wealthiest noble family on Alderaan and had strong ties to the Republic. Charle Organa had vehemently spoken out against the Crown Prince declaring Alderaan's independence almost ten years ago. In fact he and Gaul had almost come to blows over it before her aunt had stepped in. If he had his way, Alderaan would rejoin the crumbling Republic tomorrow. Perhaps he had arranged her cousin's 'suicide' and paid off the mechanics to destroy the steering mechanism on her aunt's shuttle. The Organa's coffers were certainly able to foot the bill. And Charle was, after all, Silara's eldest first cousin. Perhaps he had aspirations for the throne.

But in all honesty Charle Organa was, Katei mused, the least likely culprit. It was true that he and Gaul had argued and that the Organas wished to reconcile with the Republic, but as the saying went, you could always turn your back on an Organa. Charle was noble to a fault, almost ridiculously so. The Organa's believed that words, not swords would win the day. They clung to the principles that their beloved Galactic Republic was founded on. Charle Organa had respected his cousin. It seemed implausible that he would abandon the principals ingrained in him since birth just to further his political aims.

Behind the Organas the recently pardoned head of House Thul, Jorad, and his wife Lady Annis Trader. Jorad seemed nervous, agitated, and glanced about every so often as though anticipating a confrontation. An idiot through and through. Did he really believe himself to be that important? No one would dare disrespect the name of Panteer, even in this dark time, by staging an attack. Though the Thul family was certainly unpopular (especially in light of the rumors that they were consorting with the Empire), Alderanians prided themselves on decorum and tolerance. Were they not the shining star of prosperity and culture in the galaxy?

House Thul had been banished to the Alderanian moon of Aldebaran after their family had tried to usurp her ancestors in an unsuccessful coup nearly one thousand years ago. Her aunt had relented and pardoned the disgraced house after the Treaty of Coruscant allowing the Thul family to return to their homeland over the protests of the Organas.

Though Katei hated to side with the Republic loving dogs, she had to admit that the Thul's were another breed entirely. Katei pursed her lips as she watched Lady Annis whisper into her fat husband's ear; she wondered how close the Thul's really were to the Empire, and how much information about Alderaan's troubles they were passing on. It made her uncomfortable, and Katei was not one to take discomfort sitting down. She resolved to keep an eye on the noble House of Thul, as she watched the two nobles disappear into the throne room.

"My lady."

Katei startled and turned, coming face to face with Lord Bouris Ulgo, Duke of Ulgo, former General of the 401st Republic Corps, and Godfather to one very lonely princess.

"Uncle!"

Katei threw her arms around her Uncle's broad shoulders as the imposing man gathered her gently into his arms.

"How are you my dear?" he asked, gently setting her back on her feet. Behind him her aunt, Princess Annalee Panteer, Duchess of Ulgo, smiled her hello.

"Not…not well." Katei admitted her voice cracking as she struggled to maintain composure. "It's a disaster Uncle, the throne has fallen to father, but you know he isn't well, and Aurren is threatening a coup if father doesn't abdicate in his favor."

"Aurren? Aurren Panteer? The brother of the late prince consort?" Bouris Ulgo exclaimed, "That lout had no more claim to the throne then a Thul! Why I have more of a claim to the throne then he does! Silara was the sovereign of Alderaan-she only married her cousin to keep the dynasty on going."

"I know Uncle," Katei sighed, rubbing her temples, "It just seems that everything is spinning out of control. I don't know what to do."

Bouris smiled down at her and drew her into another hug. "Don't worry Katei. I will take care of everything."

"Thank you Uncle. Thank you so much."


End file.
